Statewide
Proposition 137Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation
Sourced facts
Official ballot title
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new law to increase water and land conservation funding without raising taxes, and, in connection therewith, through a voter-approved revenue change, allowing the state to keep and spend a portion of revenue from the state sales tax on sporting goods and equipment to conserve and protect Colorado’s water, land, and forests, prevent wildfires, support outdoor recreation training and activities, and reduce revenue spent on these conservation purposes if necessary to preserve funding for certain tax credits?
Verbatim from: Amendments and Propositions on the 2026 Ballot (Colorado Secretary of State)
Summary
Directs a portion of existing state sales tax revenue from sporting goods to conservation, wildfire mitigation, and outdoor recreation programs, and exempts that money from the state revenue limit.
Plain-language summary written for this guide from the sources below.
What a YES vote does
A “yes” vote on Proposition 137 directs existing sales tax revenue collected from sales of sporting goods to be spent on certain conservation, wildfire risk mitigation, and outdoor recreation programs, and exempts it from state revenue limitations.
What a NO vote does
A “no” vote on Proposition 137 keeps the sales tax revenue collected from sporting goods in the state’s general budget and subject to the state’s revenue limit, with the revenue either spent on priorities decided annually by the legislature or refunded to taxpayers when required.
Official text from the Blue Book (“What Your Vote Means”).
How it got on the ballot
- Citizen initiative petition #308. The Secretary of State found the petition sufficient on Aug 21, 2026. [Colorado Secretary of State: 2025–2026 initiative filings and petition status]
- Signatures: 205,670 submitted; verified by random sample. [Colorado Secretary of State: 2025–2026 initiative filings and petition status]
- Requirement: 124,238 valid signatures. Initiatives that amend the Colorado Constitution must also include signatures from at least 2% of registered voters in each state Senate district. [Colorado Secretary of State: 2025–2026 initiative filings and petition status]
- Certified to the ballot by the Secretary of State Sept 4, 2026. [SOS ballot certification news release, Sept 4, 2026]
Official fiscal information
- Transfers an estimated $175.0 million in budget year 2027-28 and $180.2 million in 2028-29 and future years from the General Fund to the specified programs; reduces TABOR refunds in years when revenue exceeds the limit. (Estimated)
- Split: GOCO programs 47.5%; Colorado State Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources 47.5%; Colorado Parks and Wildlife 2.5%; Office of Economic Development and International Trade 2.5%.
From the official source’s fiscal section. Figures marked “(Estimated)” are estimates or projections in the source.